First Chapter of _Leroy, the Worthless_

CHAPTER ONE- CHILDHOOD SCENE

         Loud, happy children’s voices filled the schoolyard as Leroy, Rudy and their friends munched their broccoli, spinach, and lettuce lunches.  Minnie, one of their age-mates had brought enough extra sweet carrots for dessert to share with their class at Community School.
         Abel, Teacher, ate his own lunch away from the chatter and commotion of the young turtles.  His talent of Teaching placed him with the very group of turtles he would have otherwise avoided – the school-aged youngsters, ages six through 12.  But Abel was a good example of the very thing that Community School emphasized in every subject: contributing to the Community using one’s magical talent is the most important duty in one’s life.  He would continue to benefit the Community with his talent, just as all the other turtles did so with their talents.
         “Leroy,” Minnie was saying, “I want to be a Healer when I grow up.  What talent do you want to have?”  She filled her mouth with sweet carrot and watched him interestedly as she crunched away. 
         “I want to be an Illuminator like my dad,” eight-year-old Leroy replied.  “Then I could bring light to all the late-night parties and stay until they were over!”  Leroy was still upset that his mother had made him retire early from the Harvest Feast a few nights ago.  He had stayed awake, listening to the music and laughter until the wee hours of the morning when his father, Max, Illuminator, came home tired, but softly telling Mother funny stories about things that had happened after she and Leroy left.
         “Well, you know you won’t be an Illuminator, Leroy, because talents never pass on like eye color or the shape of your shell.  I wasn’t to be a Seer so I’ll know everything that is going to happen before it comes up!”  This was Rudy, Leroy’s best friend.  They had been friends since, as they liked to say, they were eggs together in the Community Infant Care Rooms.
         “Sylvia, Prophet, doesn’t talk like she can see everything,” replied Minnie.  “I think she can only see the future when it’s important for her to know – like when she saw the drought coming and we were able to store-up extra dried grasses for the Cuisine Talents to use that year.”
         “I might like to be a Healer, or a Cure Talent; or maybe a Musician – they get to stay to the end of the parties, too!”  Leroy exclaimed.
         Rosay, in his final few months at Community School, stepped up and said, “You are supposed to be thinking about how your talent can help the Community, little ones, not how it can serve your own wants.  My talent, Invigorate, will keep the Community Council going when there is business to be conducted for hours on end.  And I’ll be helping tired mothers and weak oldsters to regain the energy they need for basic tasks.  And our Community will be better for my talent.” 
         Rosay’s talent had shown up very recently and he couldn’t stop talking about it.  It was as if he were the only turtle to emerge with a talent that year, instead of being one of several.  Leroy, Rudy and Minnie would all emerge with their Talents as  puberty began in a few short years, just as everyone else, including Rosay, had done before them.  Fortunately, Rosay only had a few months left at Community School.  Turtles were released from the school four months after their Talents emerged.  Their final four months in school concentrated on their specific Talent, and then they were expected to start contributing to the Community with their Talent and start the mating ritual, which would be completed shortly after they attained maturity at about age eighteen.  Puberty was a very serious time of creating a good foundation with the use of a turtle’s Talent for the good of the many, and selecting the right mate for a lifetime arrangement.
         “Well then, I suppose Leader would be the most important Talent,” Leroy pondered aloud.  “The Community Council does have full responsibility for our welfare, doesn’t it?”
         Abel had strolled over to begin calling the youngsters back inside for afternoon classes.
         “Leroy,” Abel rumbled, “it is time you and your age-mates learned of the true interdependence of Community citizens on one another.”
         “Interwhat?” asked Rudy.
         “Interdependence.  You have witnessed it your whole lives and benefited from it but you don’t yet know the concept in a conscious way.  We’ll begin talking about it this afternoon.”
         “I hope you’ll explain about consip and conchins while you’re at it,” Rudy replied.
         Abel, Teacher, chuckled to himself.  Sometimes the youngsters did indeed amuse him.  “Don’t worry, Rudy, it will all be made clear at the right time.”
         With that, all the young turtles returned to their classes to learn that being part of the Community and contributing to it with their Talents were the two most important things in their world.

#

A FEW YEARS LATER

         Rudy emerged first of Leroy’s age-mates, with Leadership as his Talent.  Minnie eventually emerged with Cuisine Talent, which made sense since she was always bringing treats from home to share with her age-mates at Community School.  One by one, all of Leroy’s age-mates emerged with their Talents: a new Storyteller, a Healer, a Vanisher, and more.  Leroy didn’t worry about his Talent not emerging as soon.  He was one of the younger turtles in his age group.  Rudy and Leroy remained fast friends, though Minnie began to spend more and more time cooking rather than hanging out with her old group.
         Finally, all of Leory’s age-mates graduated from Community School following their four-month Talent training, and Leroy had not yet begun his.  Whispers were beginning to follow him around school and around the village wherever he went.  His parents gave him concerned looks and asked odd questions suddenly out of nowhere – “Son, do you feel okay?”  “Have you tried to use any of the talents?”  “Don’t you want to have a talent?”
         Leroy began to see less and less of Rudy.  Rudy explained that being a junior member of the Community Council took up most of his time, and the rest of it he was using to woo a younger turtle girl who seemed to get along well with him.  “With any luck, we’ll be ready to marry as soon as she reaches her maturity.”          
         As Leroy’s puberty advanced and he became bigger and stronger, he began to really stand out at school.  Being bigger than all the turtles in Talent training was the final straw.  “Father, I really cannot continue to go to school.  I’ve learned everything in the regular classes and I’m the biggest and, at fifteen, the oldest turtle except for Abel, Teacher.  It’s time for me to be seeking a mate, and I cannot do that while I am still attending school with youngsters.”
         “You’re right, son.  The time has come, and gone, for you to leave school.  I’ll speak with the Community Council about it tomorrow.  Why don’t you stay home tomorrow until I get a chance to speak with them?”
         The next day, after seeing Max, Illuminator, about his son, the Community Council called in Leroy, Abel, Teacher, and allowed other turtles who had something to say to be present at the Council sitting. 
         “Why don’t you have a Talent, Leroy?” 
         “Are you afraid of using a Talent?” 
         “Are you just not telling us your Talent?”           
         “You know using your Talent is the most important duty you have in life.  Just what do you propose to do about that, Leroy?”           The questions, with no satisfactory answers, came hard and fast.
         “Leroy will gain nothing by staying in school at this time,” Abel, Teacher, explained.  “And with special permission from the Council, he can be readmitted to the school for Talent training when his Talent does emerge.” 
         “It’s not normal.  I don’t want my children in school with someone who is so backward,” one dislikeable mother complained.  “What if it’s something in his attitude?  I don’t want him rubbing off on my children!” 
         “Leroy should be out looking for a mate at his age.  He’ll at least need to have a wife with a Talent if he can’t have one of his own,” brought up Cedric, Vanisher. 
         “Mate!” cried another villager, “Who will marry him or have children with him if he’s not normal?”
         Eventually Deirdre, Peace Talent, was called in too calm everyone. 
         “We’ll get nowhere with everyone upset!” said this month’s Council leader.  “He’s not yet reached his age of majority.  Perhaps the boy just needs a little more time, and a little less pressure.  I move that Leroy be dismissed from school for the time being on the condition that he may return when his Talent emerges.  And I move that any further issues concerning Leroy’s Talent, or lack thereof, be put off until he has at least reached full maturity.  As for seeking a mate, that will play out as it will between Leroy and the eligible young ladies of the village.”
         The motions were seconded and passed by the Community Council thereby releasing Leroy from the humiliation of school, but throwing him into a limbo of uncertainty that no one in his village had ever faced.
         Minnie and her beau often invited Leroy to join them in their activities and even arranged a few dates for him with willing girls.  Leroy didn’t really hit it off with any of the girls, but enjoyed the time he spent with his friends anyway.
         Leroy began participating in the non-talemt-related duties that all villagers took turns doing: delivering messages, minding infants and preschoolers, sludge pot keeping, and more.  He was allowed to sit in on Council meetings, visit the sick or injured with the Healers and Cure Talents, and discussed music with the Musicians.  He learned to say “hello” to eleven different species of forest animals from the Animal Whisperers and rested in the cooling shade the Shadower brought to a hot afternoon in the village square.  Confidantes, Culminators, and Soothers passed time with him discussing the specifics of each of their talents and Leroy learned more about a wide variety of Talents in the village than anyone else.  At times, it seemed that everyone was competing to prove that his or her talent was best or most useful.  But Leroy still had no Talent of his own.
         Rudy began obviously avoiding Leroy after his release from school.  He’d cross the street when he saw Leroy coming, leave public gatherings when Leroy arrived, and told a sad and slightly angry Leroy that he simply didn’t have time to spend with him.  On one occasion when Rudy was kind of trapped into talking to Leroy, Rudy actually said, “What is wrong with you?  Why don’t you have a Talent?  It’s like you don’t even want one, and that’s just selfish and irresponsible.”  He then managed to squeeze his way through the crowd and get away before Leroy could think of an answer.
         ‘Is it true,’ Leroy wondered. ‘Am I afraid? Do I really not want a Talent?  Am I somehow doing this on purpose?’

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LEROY TURNS EIGHTEEN
         Leroy’s eighteen birthday should have been a day of great celebration.  He should be rejoicing in reaching his age of majority and anticipating beginning marital life with some attractive young female turtle he had been wooing for a few years.
         Instead, Leroy faced the day with dread.  Instead of attending a noisy colorful celebration, Leroy would be attending a Community Council special meeting to decide his worth to the village and what his contribution to the Community would be since there was no magic for him to use.  He was the only turtle in the history of the herd who had not emerged with a Talent at the beginning of his puberty.  He was the only turtle to have not received a Talent with which to enrich his Community.
         “Leroy, have you a Talent you wish to reveal to us at this time?” the voice of this month’s Council Leader was deep and somber.  The older turtle’s eyes rested Leroy’s hanging head.
         “No, Leader, I have no Talent to share with the Community.  I’ve tried to do magic, I’ve spent time with villagers of all kinds of Talents, I’ve wished as hard as I can but I still do not have a Talent, Leader.  I don’t know what else to say.”  Leroy’s voice was calm but quiet.
         Leroy was surprised at the next Leader who spoke.  This Leader was older than Leroy himself by only a few months, and had been his best friend in childhood.
         “What are we to do with him?  He cannot be part of our Community as is expected!  He has no Talent with which to contribute!”  Rudy’s voice rang out cold and clear, and his words hung in the air seeming to smother Leroy with their contempt for him.
         “Leroy is our own, Rudy, Leader, and we will find some way for him to continue being part of our society somehow.  He cannot serve with Talents but there are baser, less desirable tasks in the village that are currently carried out by Talented turtles in rotation.  Perhaps Leroy could take more of the burden off of the rest of the village by performing those duties more frequently, releasing the rest of us from the taint of those dreaded jobs,” suggested the Council Leader.  “Does anyone have any other suggestions?” he then asked the assembly.
         No other suggestions were given, and Rudy began to speak again, “The most difficult and distasteful task we have here is that of sludge pot keeper.  It’s a job of dirt and grime and stench and is the biggest drain on our Magical Talents.  I move that Leroy be assigned permanently to sludge pot duty, freeing the rest of us to use our Talents more frequently by not having to serve in that area.”
         Silence again covered the room.  Leroy groaned inwardly at the thought of being assigned to work in the dirty, smelly sludge pot all the time, but Rudy was right.  Leroy had no Talent to taint, no usefulness that would go to waste for a day because of working there.  It was right for him to be assigned to the nasty task in order that the others could use their Talents in the service of the Community.
         “That’s not right…” called Leroy’s mother. “He can’t help not having a talent.  It ‘s like punishment to make someone work there all the time…”  Leroy’s father was trying to quiet the distraught lady turtle, but she burst into tears, crying, “It’s not fair!  He hasn’t done anything wrong!”
         “Lydia, Summoner, no one is accusing Leroy of doing anything wrong.  It is simply that he is useless elsewhere in the village.  This way he is at least allowing the other turtles, who do have Magical Talents to use them instead of being stuck in the sludge pot all day every few weeks . . .”
         “It’s alright, Mother,” Leroy spoke loudly and held his head high, “it’s alright.  I can do this job as well or better than anyone else and it will help the community by keeping the  Talents where they can be used all the time.  It is fair, Mother; I don’t have a Talent to bring to the welfare of the Community so it is fair that I do what I can to make the Talents of others as available as possible.”
         Rudy spoke next, with an unpleasant smirk on his face, “It’s nice that you are being so reasonable and since you recognize that your usefulness is extremely limited, and I’m sure that you would not object to having an official title finally, of Sludge Keeper.  Leroy, the Sludge Keeper.”
         “Sludge Keeper!” this time it was Leroy’s childhood friend Minnie who shrilled from the audience.  “That is not a title, that’s an insult!  How dare you, Rudy, Leader…” - this last word spit out with spite and rancor – “why, you may as well call him Leroy, the Worthless!”
         To Leroy embarrassment and the deep chagrin of his parents and his friend Minnie, no one joined the objection.  Pure silence reigned in the auditorium as the Council Leader again took the stand, “Peace Talents, please alleviate our tension, and Leroy . . . Sludge Keeper, you may be dismissed before the rest.  It is time for you to prepare for your assigned duties as a full majority member of this village.”
         Leroy slowly moved amongst the crowd of villagers and took his leave as the Peace Talents managed to lower the palpable tension in the room.  He headed for the sludge pot, his heart heavy with sadness, his hopes of ever being a useful member of the village dashed.  Even if he emerged with a Talent later, no one would want him to practice it because they would believe he had been contaminated by his extended time in the non-magical filth and muck of the sludge pot.  He was doomed to a miserable existence.